Akwa Ibom PDP denies expelling Senator Akpabio

Gov urges states to think beyond oil for revenue
Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as untrue the claim by the former governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio, that he was expelled by the party.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s secretariat in Uyo yesterday, the publicity secretary, Mr. Ini Ememobong, said it was the senator himself that announced to the world on August 8, 2018 that he was defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Such claims, according to the party, are his creation and a lame defence to keep his seat at the senate.

“Flowing from the judgement of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja presided over by Justice Okon Abang, wherein the trial judge held that Senator Akpabio led evidence to show that he was expelled from the PDP and therefore was justified in law in ‘moving’ to the APC, we state that nothing can be farther from the truth than the transparent lie of expulsion. We make bold to state that at no time was Chief Akpabio suspended or expelled from the party,” he stated.

The party, therefore, warned the senator to desist from including the PDP in his serial lies.

In another development, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has expressed worry that with the meagre allocations available to states, most governors won’t be able to pay workers the new minimum wage.

He, therefore, urged state governments to think up actionable plans to raise revenue aside dependence on oil and federal allocations.

Speaking at a two-day pre-inauguration induction training and workshop organised for members-elect by the House of Assembly, the governor noted that the country’s greatest problem was failure to plan for the future.

Emmanuel, however, disclosed yesterday in Lagos that the eight-year-old Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road construction would need another N11 billion to be completed.

The 25-kilometre project contracted to Julius Berger by Akpabio’s administration has reportedly gulped an estimated N100 billion. But the governor says its size and modification was responsible for the needed amount.